A Whole Pile Of "Cloverfield" News From SlashFilm

Cloverfield / 1-18-08 Updates: Coney Island Flashback and Set Photos
July 16, 2007
Source: SlashFilm
by Alex Billington

Although the discussion about the J.J. Abrams’ Cloverfield / 1-18-08 project has been going crazy over at the first post (with 963 comments right now), some updates have hit that just need to be shared with everyone who may be the slightest bit interested. Thanks to Peter over at SlashFilm who has been following this closely, there are a few new set photos, story updates including details on a Coney Island flashback scene that was shot on location, and more!

The most interesting news is that the film will work in a flashback style, where some kids are found at Coney Island after the monster has destroyed New York City and they find a camera and pick it up and watch it from the start. This quote comes from an article at New York Post that's digging further into the film.

“It's about an alien that wipes out all of New York City. The footage is taken the day before everyone dies. A bunch of kids come to Coney Island with a video camera. The movie is a flashback to that day."

The scenes were apparently filmed at the now-defunct and chained-up B&B Carousell, the famous boardwalk and at a hot buttered corn booth. That puts to rest any consideration that it might be Godzilla or Cthulhu or anything else. As has been said before, this is pretty much an original project from J.J. Abrams and his team, and isn't an adaptation of something we might already know.

For those who are still curious at to the name of the film and are trying to figure out what to call it, whether it be Cloverfield, 1-18-08, or something else, that will all be resolved soon. J.J. Abrams will be at Comic-Con in the panel from Paramount on Thursday afternoon and a source at SlashFilm has confirmed that the official title will be revealed at that time (or so we really hope). We will be at the panel on-hand to be the first to report all of what J.J. Abrams has to say, and possibly even a new clip from the film.

Lastly, a scooper for SlashFilm sent them two set photos that are (unconfirmed) from the actual set of Cloverfield, which has mostly been shooting in Los Angeles. You can see both of the photos, which seem to be quite legit, below.

   

Some details are starting to come together on Cloverfield, but the film still remains a big mystery, and that's what continues to fuel the buzz. It's great to see a project like this really get so much buzz, because in Hollywood nowadays all-too-often a film is drowned with spy set photos, set reports, and too much coverage. This one just took off in a matter of minutes and has quickly turned into something huge.

Make sure you stay tuned, we FS.net will be the first to reveal the news from the Comic-Con panel in our live coverage next Thursday, July 26th.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Is That What I Think It Is? - Enlarged Screencap From "Cloverfield" Trailer

Dear Constant Reader,

I was watching that trailer for "that film", and I noticed something odd.
It appears to be a face, and I'm wondering if this is our first peek at the "thing" that's attacking the city?:



Did you also notice the clawed hand under the chin?

Note :
This photo has ONLY been enlarged, and is directly from the trailer itself.
It has not be altered in any other way.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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"Cloverfield" Is It True? - Comments Please!

Dear Constant Reader,

The latest slice of rumor sliding down the pipe is this :

"Cloverfield opens with a crew cleaning up after the shit hits the fan, and somebody stumbles upon a camera.
They press play and the playback is how the rest of the film unfolds."

I'm now even more intrigued.
This is a completely unconfirmed rumor that is being stated as fact by another site that took the information from an undisclosed source.
There's also a problem with this rumor :
It's rumored that several cast members were given video cameras.
Why would the filmmakers be giving several cast members cameras if they were only going to use footage from one camera?
I'm calling shenanigans on this one, but who knows?

Please feel free to comment about this latest piece of info.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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AICN & "Cloverifled" Part 3: Further Exposure

Dear Constant Reader,

It's great when someone more knowledgeable than I continues to confirm the fact that Moriarty and Harry Knowles are thieves of the highest order.
Their history of misleading their readers is documented all over the web, and Semidi has put together a great article about their continued deceptions :


AICN’s Moriarty Loses More Credibilty
Sunday, July 15th, 2007 in 1-18-08, Film & TV, Writing

Ain’t It Cool News’ “Moriarty” maintains that AICN is to be trusted without a doubt when covering, well, anything — but especially Cloverfield.

However, as I stated earlier in a reply to Seth’s comment here concerning some comments Moriarty made at AICN about the movie:

…since Moriarty sites no source for his claims, I don’t feel them all that trustworthy. Further, for all we know Moriarty could be an unwitting conduit for misinformation.

Frankly, Moriarty’s “RUMOR CONTROL” piece does nothing to allay the skepticism I have toward him, AICN, and all media outlets.

First, he links to this story that he wrote on June 21st in which he savages someone for perpetrating a hoax regarding The Dark Tower movie that is in pre-production:

It’s magnificent horseshit of the highest degree, and the author of that site obviously wants to be the Supershadow of THE DARK TOWER, a bald-faced fabricator who uses a property with a huge fanbase to try and satisfy their own sad need for attention.

Well, Moriarty didn’t mind giving the guy attention, as the “RUMOR CONTROL” post shows:

I’ve since learned that the guy who ran that [Dark Tower] blog may well have been hired to be on an Abrams film… just not the one he thought he was working on. That may have been the first leak on CLOVERFIELD, but he didn’t know enough to make it worthwhile.

So Moriarty relied on a source he had earlier called “a bald-faced fabricator.” That’s so comforting. Why Mo, how ever could we doubt you as a trustworthy journalist?

Second, Moriarty makes the following claim in “RUMOR CONTROL” about a Cloverfield piece he wrote on June 25th:

When I wrote that story, I didn’t realize that Abrams was going to be pursuing a sort of veil of complete secrecy around the film, and I didn’t know he’d be creating a game leading up to the release.

With the above statements, Moriarty has given me — and everyone else who reads him — yet another reason to take what he writes with a grain of salt. Just because he, and AICN, get a lot of leads and tips doesn’t mean that he and the site are infallible.

I’ve been a journalist. I’ve had sources try to use me for their own agendas by telling my outright lies or lies of omission. I’ve had sources try to divert my attention from one story with something they thought I would find juicier. It’s the nature of the business. Moriarty — and AICN — aren’t exempt from this.

Further, I have to wonder how often the reporters at AICN get confirmation from multiple sources before running a story; very often the source of the story could be fired or sued if caught leaking the info, so tipping off the wrong person that there’s a leak could result in a burned source — and less gossip for AICN to print.

Then we have the fact that studios and production companies release disinformation to sites like AICN all the time to protect valuable story lines and casting changes from leaks. Then there are those times when misinformation gets spread and a producer will keep quite because his movie is inadvertently getting a lot of buzz from the erroneous info.

Not that we know anyone who’s done that, lately.

Finally, things can change at a moment’s notice. Five days of re-shooting may be required due to script rewrites or technical problems or an injured actor, so the info that gets leaked to AICN one week could be completely invalid the next. And the folks at AICN might not find that out for a while — if at all.

Be skeptical of everything you read that purports to be fact. It’s just the sensible thing to do.

And Mo, if you were looking to reassure people about your credibility you need to stop while you’re behind.

(Via We Were the Cool Kids)

UPDATE: Here’s the Wikipedia article about Ain’t It Cool News with a few reasons why you should view the site with a healthy dose of skepticism. According to the entry (although it does not cite a source for this info), Harry “Hercules” Knowles used to falsify stories by pretending information he obtained from online newsgroups came from Hollywood insiders.

I also recommend (and this is Arthur speaking) that you check out this article which contains even more links regarding the immoral actions of AICN :
A Question of Ethics


Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Some Exciting "Cloverfield" Related News - Paramount Visits My Website

Dear Constant Reader,

I really don't know what to say, but I'm pickled tink about this.
It seems that the fine folks over at Paramount Pictures have visited my blog!
I was rumbling through some site statistics when I came across this :

Screenshot :


Text Paste :
We Were The Cool Kids
Who's On? > Visit Detail
Visit 9,390
[<<] [>>]
Domain Name paramount.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address REMOVED.# (Paramount Pictures)
ISP Paramount Pictures
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : California
City : Los Angeles
Lat/Long : 34.0887, -118.3278 (Map)

I normally don't get all googy-eyed over something like this, but I'm so excited ... and I just can't hide ... um ... I'm about to lose control ... and er ... um I think I like it.
I hope the folks at Paramount enjoyed their visit, and that they return again.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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"Cloverfield" Article From The New York Post & A "Cloverfield" Mention On VH1

Dear Constant Reader,

Now we know that the New York Post is good for more than just wiping your ass with :


BAIT BALLS OF FIRE
MORE CLUES TO HELP SOLVE MYSTERIOUS FILM PUZZLE
By FARRAH WEINSTEIN

In the cryptic trailer for J.J. Abrams' new film, NY1's Roma Torre reports trouble afoot . . .
. . . then folks head to the rooftop, where an explosion lights up the Manhattan skyline.

July 16, 2007 -- IT'S alive. It's huge. And it's top secret.

That's about all we know about pro ducer J.J. Abrams' latest pet project.

"Transformers" theatergoers have been scratching their heads in frustra tion at a grainy, "Blair Witch"-style advertisement for a movie that doesn't even have a name.

Working titles include "The Cloverfield Experiment," "Slusho!" and "1-18-08" (the day the movie will be released).

Last week, the trailer went up on YouTube, and Paramount Pictures was quick to take it down - only to launch its own Web site, 1-18-08.com, which features three overlapping pictures that can be turned upside-down or sideways.

Weird clues such as an imp or a demon can be seen between the faces of two girls. The No. 9 is weirdly placed on a woman's chest in one of the party pictures. Another features people walking through a white cloud of smoke with their noses and mouths covered.

In the trailer, seemingly shot on a shaky, handheld camcorder, Manhattan friends are at a going-away party for a guy named Rob, who is leaving for Japan.

The band Wolfmother blasts in the background, and in a flash the lights go out and a painful background howling is heard. On the TV screen, NY1 reporter Roma Torre reports a "thunderous, roaring sound."

Partygoers head to the roof, where fireballs attack. On the street, the Statue of Liberty's head is thrown to the pavement.

The Hollywood Reporter describes the scene as " 'Armageddon' meets 'The Blair Witch Project'." But there also might be an amusement park twist reminiscent of "Final Destination 2."

A few weeks ago, the movie was shot in Coney Island on the blocks contained by West Eighth Street, West 17th Street, Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk.

A small crew, including Abrams (co-creator of "Lost") and director Matt Reeves ("Felicity"), along with up-and-coming actors Blake Lively and Mike Vogel (both from "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") came into the park with hand-held video cameras.

They shot several scenes at Deno's Wonder Wheel, a scary swinging Ferris Wheel in which patrons ride in cages as they look out over Brooklyn. They also went on the Scooter bumper cars, played some ticket-stub games in the arcade, and rolled some skee ball.

A member of the Vourderis family, owners of Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, gave authorization to the film crew to shoot there.

"It's about an alien that wipes out all of New York City," says one of the owners, who wants to remain anonymous. "The footage is taken the day before everyone dies. A bunch of kids come to Coney Island with a video camera. The movie is a flashback to that day."

It is reported that they have only a $30 million budget, not a heck of a lot for a monster movie.

They also filmed a few scenes in front of the now-defunct and chained-up B&B Carousell.

The crew steered clear of Astroland and The Cyclone, but shot some scenes on the Boardwalk by Nathan's and the booths selling hot buttered corn.

"They told me I could be in the movie," said Eric Gonzalez, an 18-year-old kid who plays the freak in the paintball game "Shoot the Freak."

"I wanted to be in it so bad and I gave them my number, and they never called. I got new shoes, a hat and a whole new outfit."

NY1 reporter Torre, on the other hand, was lucky to get plucked to star in the flick, and shot "a lot" more scenes than the one you see in the trailer.

"This whole thing was cloaked in mystery," Torre told The Post. "We weren't given any names. They made me sign a nondisclosure agreement, and I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"It was so mysterious that I had no idea that this was going to be a big-budget film or an independent type movie. So I was shocked to hear about the trailer and the buzz it's getting. I'm hearing from friends across the country. It's fun."

Many theories are floating around the 'Net about what the movie could really be: Godzilla, Cthulhu, the Parasite or a movie version of "Lost." Fans have also linked it to puzzle-based Web sites such as EthanHaaswasright.com. But Abrams was quick to correct that.

"The only site of ours that people have even found is the 1-18-08.com site," he told writer Harry Knowles of Web site Ain't It Cool News. "The others . . . have nothing to do with us."

He continues: "Thank you for your support of our little movie. I can't wait to talk to you more about it - of course, knowing you, by the time we talk you'll know more than I will.

"Regarding the online stuff you posted: Yeah, we're doing some fun stuff on the Web. But, obviously, if the movie doesn't kick some massive ASS, who gives a rat's about what's online? So as you can imagine, we're focusing mostly on THAT."

Extra :



Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [VH1] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Another Semidi "Cloverfield" Item

Dear Constant Reader,

Cloverfield: The Down-side of Viral Marketing
Sunday, July 15th, 2007

Prior to the Cloverfield Project, my only experience with an online ARG was a casual fling with the Cloudmakers game for the movie A.I. (which was focused on a storyline set in the AI universe but which did not directly connect to a majority of the events in the film).

Given my lack of experience, I was completely unprepared for (and find myself increasingly annoyed by) the onslaught of posts by dozens of newcomers to the game breathlessly and urgently proclaiming the discovery of the “new” 1-18-08 trailer or the the “new” 1-18-08 website. In every case, the posts in question refer to the Cloverfield trailer being featured at iTunes or the Slusho.jp website.

Of course the newbies assume that because something is new to them, it’s new to everyone.

Then we have those folks who add two and two together and get the sum of eleventy-three; they argue in tortured detail from their parents’ basements that the movie is going to be about Pokemon, or Digimon, or the Rampage video game.

As mentioned before, such arguments make Baby Jesus cry — between bouts of pointing and laughing.

As a result of these experiences, I have come to realize that the biggest enemy of such a marketing campaign is time. Why the folks at Paramount thought it would be a good idea to launch a viral marketing campaign for a movie due to hit the nation’s silver screens 6 months and 15 days from now is beyond me. I can’t conceive of how enough content could be generated and piece-mealed out over that stretch of time in such a way as to maintain, let alone grow, interest in that movie.

And all that time means that people who are bored and malicious, or those who have over-active imaginations, have more opportunities to muddy the water and increases the likelihood that the rest of are going to decide to stop swimming.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Viral]
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From Semidi: Source: Slusho.jp filled with “clues yet undiscovered”

Dear Constant Reader,

More from Semidi's great blog :

Source: Slusho.jp filled with “clues yet undiscovered”
Sunday, July 15th, 2007

Colorado’s 9 News claims to have a secret source on the Cloverfield set that provided some additional details about the movie that were previously unknown. The source also claims that Slusho.jp is an untapped goldmine of clues:

9NEWS Entertainment Reporter Kirk Montgomery learned exclusively on Friday from a secret source, who is on the set of the film every day, that it is not a sequel or a remake (which precludes King Kong or Godzilla). It is not Voltron or “Lost”-related.

The source told Kirk the entire film will be presented through a handheld video camera, as in the style of the trailer. All of the actors involved had not seen scripts when they signed on for the project and are under strict legal gag-orders not to discuss any aspect of the film.
The source says 50 percent of the $30 million budget for the film is devoted to special effects.

The official Web site is www.1-18-08.com, but the source tells Kirk that apparently a Japanese-style Web site, www.slusho.jp, has lots of clues yet undiscovered by the rabid fans who have been scouring the Internet for hints.
The source told Kirk the biggest clue of the trailer is in the line: “I saw it, it’s alive, it’s huge.”
The source also says the sound the “creature” makes is another big clue. He says the creature is an organic, living thing.

(Via Thoughts of a Limemonkey)

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Godzilla]
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AICN & "Cloverifled" Part 2: Moriarty Does Damage Control

Dear Constant Reader,

Looks like someone at AICN has seen what I've written here and has decided to defend themselves with this nonsense : RUMOR CONTROL! Let’s Talk About CLOVERFIELD/SLUSHO/1-18-08!

Did they honestly think I was going to let them get away with this?
Silly Moriarty!

Let's go through the article that "Moriarty posted today, and educate this asshat shall we?
My response to this clown will be in bold :


RUMOR CONTROL! Let’s Talk About CLOVERFIELD/SLUSHO/1-18-08!

Moriarty Writes :

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

If we’re going to talk rumors about INDY 4 this morning, we’ve definitely got to spend a little time talking about CLOVERFIELD.

Now, before you say, “well, how do we know you know anything?!”, let’s take a look back at the first mention of the film here on the site. On June 21st, before the first screening of TRANSFORMERS with the trailer attached, before anyone outside of Paramount had mentioned word one about the film anywhere, we broke the entire story here on the site. Check it out for yourself.

I respond :

Um no.
Talk of this movie was spreading before AICN said a single word about it.
Attaching yourself to the coattails, and then screaming "We were here first" is something that you AICN fuckers are experts at. You've been caught many times doing this.
Well now you're going to be called on it.

Moriarty Writes :

When I wrote that story, I didn’t realize that Abrams was going to be pursuing a sort of veil of complete secrecy around the film, and I didn’t know he’d be creating a game leading up to the release. I actually feel bad that we sort of spelled it out as completely as we did. The one thing that he should be happy about is that no one really knew what the hell CLOVERFIELD was, so they didn’t read the article when I ran it. It certainly didn’t set the world on fire until people saw the trailer themselves, at which point we got flooded with e-mails asking, “What is that trailer? Why don’t you know anything about it yet?”

I respond :

If you claim to have covered this film before the trailer hit theaters then why would your own readers be asking "Why don't you know anything about it yet?".
You could at least get your facts straight if you're going to outright lie.

Moriarty Writes :

Well, 90% of everything that’s out there now came from one source, guys. Me. I broke the following facts about CLOVERFIELD exclusively: The title being a cover. It being a giant monster movie shot as if from a hand-held video camera. The low budget on the movie. The fact that Drew Goddard is writing it, and that Matt Reeves is directing it. The fact that the creature is nicknamed “the Parasite” by those working on the film. I described the trailer beat-for-beat before anyone outside the studio had seen it.

I respond :

Once again ... no.
The web was abuzz with discussion about "Cloverfield" before you wrote (stole) one word about it on your site.
This is provable fact.

Moriarty Writes :

And yet nobody is citing us as the source of that information. Check out this asshole. And, yes, I just called you an asshole, Kirk Montgomery, because you’ve passed off other people’s work of the last two weeks as some sort of exclusive on your part. You didn’t learn anything “exclusively,” since everything in your article is regurgitated from other sources. You’re not the first person to simply re-run the information we broke about the movie in the past ten days, but you make it sound in your article like no one else anywhere has already written about the viral marketing sites or the way it’s being shot or the budget. There’s not a single piece of new reportage in your piece, and the way you try to make it sound like you somehow broke this wide open makes you... well... an asshole.

I respond :

People who live in glass houses Moriarty.
Knowles was criticized in a series of articles in Film Threat magazine, which accused him of unethical practices as a journalist. The articles focused on an article Knowles posted in 1999, praising a screenplay co-written by Drew McWeeny, without mentioning that McWeeny was a regular contributor to Knowles' website, writing under the pseudonym "Moriarty."

Another controversy arose in early 2000 when Knowles posted materials stolen from an ABC staffer's home computer, which Knowles took at face value to be the Oscar nominees for the Academy Awards—a day before the official announcement. When the actual nominees were announced the following day, it was discovered that his finalists in almost every category were incorrect. Knowles acknowledged his error when it became clear he was wrong, but then disclosed the IP address of the person whose computer had been hacked, compounding the error. The Academy considered suing Knowles for trademark and copyright infringement, but ultimately decided against it.

Your lies, and participation in illegal activities have already caught up with you guys.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Decatur Daily Article On "Cloverfield"

Dear Constant Reader,

A lot of this is repeating what we've already heard, and the writer appears to be smothering in the closet :

CULTURE SHOCK
Franklin Harris
The movie with no name generates early buzz

The most interesting thing about director Michael Bay's "Transformers" isn't the movie itself. If you want a movie about giant robots who moonlight as cars and airplanes, the 1986 animated version, "Transformers: The Movie," is a better deal.

No, the most interesting thing is the mysterious teaser trailer screening before "Transformers" — a teaser for a movie that doesn't yet have a title.

The Internet Movie Database refers to the film as the "Untitled J.J. Abrams Project." But rumors have floated around the Internet for weeks, usually citing the working title "Cloverfield." Probably no bogus movie name has generated so much buzz since George Lucas began work on a film called "Blue Harvest" — better known as "Return of the Jedi."

For now, "Cloverfield" will have to do. Executive producer J.J. Abrams ("Alias," "Lost") isn't giving up many hints. On Monday, Ain't It Cool News posted a letter from Abrams in which he denied any connection to two Web sites that seem to be part of a viral marketing campaign for the film: www.ethanhaaswasright.com and ethanhaaswaswrong.blogspot
.com.

Whoever "Ethan Haas" is, the Ethan Haas Was Right site, which invites visitors to solve puzzles in order to uncover Haas' prophecies of impending doom, looks pretty professional not to be part of some elaborate marketing scheme.

So far, Abrams said, fans have discovered only one legitimate "Cloverfield" Web site, 1-18-08.com, named for the film's scheduled Jan. 18 release date.

The trailer itself is doing a good job of generating interest. At first, it appears to be home-video footage of a party. Maybe the movie is a comedy? Then things take a slightly darker tone, and you think, "A drama? Maybe a thriller?"

Then the explosions start, and the person holding the camera, along with the other partygoers, heads outside just in time to catch a blast lighting up the night sky, followed by what sounds like a roar.

When I saw the trailer in the theater, people in the audience were, at this point, asking each other, "Is that Godzilla?"

Godzilla doesn't appear. But the next thing you see are buildings crumbling and cars flying across the city. Then something crashes in the street below.

It's the severed head of the Statue of Liberty.

We're in New York City, and Really Bad Things are happening.

Then the trailer ends with that date: 1-18-08.

So, whatever is happening, you'll have to wait seven months to find out.

That's brilliant marketing.

Judging from just the trailer, the film currently known as "Cloverfield" looks like "Godzilla" meets "The Blair Witch Project" — a monster movie told from the point of view of amateur video. Probably not coincidentally, "The Blair Witch Project" is another film that took full advantage of an unorthodox marketing campaign, which had a lot of moviegoers convinced the film was a legitimate documentary rather than a clever work of fiction.

All we know about "Cloverfield" is Abrams is producing it, "Felicity" creator Matt Reeves is directing it, Drew Goddard ("Alias," "Lost") is writing its screenplay and it stars a cast of unknowns, who reportedly weren't even allowed to see the script before they signed on.

For now, we're left to guess. Is the entire film going to be "home movie" footage, or was that just a trick to throw us off. Is there really a giant, Godzilla-like monster? And what is up with all of this Ethan Haas stuff, which makes the movie look like some sort of cosmic doomsday out of the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft story?

That ought to keep people talking until January.

Franklin Harris, fharris@decaturdaily.com, is assistant metro editor.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Godzilla] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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AICN & "Cloverfield"

Dear Constant Reader,

AICN needs to stop implicating themselves in feeding us news on JJ Abrams mystery flick.
”Moriarty” and friends are well know for stealing information and then posting it as their own information.
"Moriarty" has written another self-congratulatory article regarding how important AICN has been in giving us information.
Here it is with my thoughts in bold :


Wanna Know A Little More About CLOVERFIELD?! Like, Say, Who’s Directing It?!

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

It’s funny... I’m getting letters now from other webmasters saying that they’re getting yelled at for publishing anything about this film. Yet so far, I haven’t heard one word back from Bad Robot or Paramount, and we’re the one place these stories have been breaking.

Um no. I've found information about "Cloverfield" from every other site long before yours. It's not until this information appears on other sites that it magically makes it's way to yours.

We were the ones who first told you that it’s a giant monster movie featuring something that’s being called “The Parasite” at the moment. We’re the ones who told you that Drew Godard is writing the film. We brought you the first descriptions of the teaser trailer that will be attached to the prints of TRANSFORMERS everyone will be seeing next week.

Wrong again. IMDB had this information long before you did.

And now... now we can tell you who is directing the film. It’s amazing to me how secretive this one is. Personally, I think it sounds great, and all the stuff I’ve heard about the script and the designs for the monster and the work they’ve been doing on the Paramount lot and over at the offices on Cloverfield (the reason for the fake title, no doubt) makes me think this is going to be one groovy movie.

And when he says "all the stuff I've heard about the script and the designs for the monster"? what he really means is "I'm talking from out my ass because it's hard stealing information from other sites and I really am trying to make myself sound more important than I really am"

I'm not going to re-print the rest of the article because anybody with half a brain knows that AICN will outright lie about their information.
If AICN is where you're going to get your information then you've gone completely braindead, and need to unplug your computer.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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"Cloverfield" Effects Guy Speaks!

Dear Constant Reader,

Ken Tarallo speaks up on his official forums.
July 13th, 2007 at 4:24 pm in Rumors, News and written by Jordan | No Comments »

Thanks to HetMasteen from the Unfiction Forums for finding this and letting us know in the #slusho IRC channel (server: irc.chat-solutions.org:667). He was approved for his membership at the Tarallo forums and found this little bit posted in one of the threads there:

First post: July 8th.
user clownnation: I just saw the “cloverfield” teaser when i went and saw Transformers. All I can say Ken, is WHOA! Its amazing how that teaser hooked me and I have no idea what the movie is about, who ever put that teaser together is brilliant! There is a HUGE internet buzz about it now!

user fxdude (Ken):Yes it will be interesting.. did you see the Statue Of Liberty head fly down the street?, we shot all that at Paramounts backlot, New York Street, most people think we are shooting it with a handy cam, but NO we are using the state of the art DVD Panavision camera. Also the press is stating that it is shooting now in New York… WRONG AGAIN media people ..

user doghead76: hehe…they thought statue of liberty…that’s New York. isn’t it fun though, when you can keep on fooling people that way? I mean…that’s just another shade of movie magic, don’t you think?

user clownnation: Yes I did see the Statue of Liberty’s head. That wasnt CG? It really does look like a handy cam, GREAT EFFECTS! I usually dont like trailers these days, they give away the entire movie, but this trailer told me very little and hooked me right in!

user fxdude (Ken): Some of it was CG the rest mechanical, as the head hits the ground we yanked the cars out of the way shook the buildings, broke the glass, created sparks, anything the CG item hits we have to destroy. a lot of work.. “Godzilla meets Escape from New York”

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Photos From The "Cloverfield" Set?

Dear Constant Reader,

Well lookit these!

If you’re a member of the fright forums you may have come across a thread that features pictures of the set for 1-18-08, which I believe were taken by Ken himself, though I am not entirely sure. Make sure to credit Ken/Frightstuff for the photos if you do use/post them elsewhere!

Check these out:

“I can’t tell you anything else except that is the street scene in the teaser promo, more to follow”

“casting the mold”

“a female torso mold”

“Hmmm can you name the cloverfield toys?”

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Breaking "Cloverfield" News?

Dear Constant Reader,

Could this article have broken open what "Cloverfield" is really about?
Um no.
Clearly this person needs attention.
It's a worthwhile read, but it's just further speculation that's based entirely on rumor :

BREAKING: J.J. Abrams' 1.18.08 Mystery SOLVED!
If you, like the rest of moviegoers are scratching your heads and are indeed very excited for this title... then keep two things in mind:

a) STOP READING
b) May want to not build it up in your head.

As it turns out, the film is being shot as we speak... I'm in no way involved and I am in no way expected to keep a sealed lid about it, but people who know people... claim that based upon the production's paperwork, etc... they've figured it out.

Remember, this, while STRONG speculations, are still that. But you might be surprised to know that... What awaits you is none other than:

J.J. Abrams' RAMPAGE



So the questions remain, why the nifty marketing and mysterious angle? Well... if you know Rampage, you probably know why.

Since it is indeed a monster movie, that means your stars are not human, therefore the studio, in order to see it possibly being a watchable film, have to put a human angle in it. So we don't hurt our brains and we can actually feel attached to the story.



If you know Rampage, you know that as far as plot... you might as well have these humans running around with cameras and experience it through their point of view. "Hey, I f*cking shot that!"

If you know Rampage, then you know you are dealing with 4 or 3 monsters, usually and definitely a giant Gorilla (George) and a giant Lizard (Lizzie?) and most often the Werewolf (Ralph)... and they go around the city destroying building, eating power up and tossing shit at each other. They indeed, walk upon a CLOBBER field.



If you DON'T know Rampage, check out the Wiki.

As always, the film's website is: http://www.1-18-08.com/

Trailer is: @ apple trailers!

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Very Funny "Cloverfield" Trailer Analysis

Dear Constant Reader,

I find it funny that the the word "analysis" contains the word "anal", and I find this "Cloverfield" trailer analysis even funnier :

Cloverfield Trailer by the Nostalgia Critic :


Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Channel 4 Film Puts Up A Wonderful Four Page Article On "Cloverfield"

Dear Constant Reader,

A very lengthy article on everyone's favorite new obsession.
A lot of the news is stuff we've read before, but it offers some great insight :

01-18-08 aka Cloverfield

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Semidi Posts ANOTHER Great "Cloverfield" Article

Dear Constant Reader,

Semidi posted another great article at their blog, and here it is :

Slusho: Is “Bloop” A New Clue?

Saturday, July 14th, 2007 in 1-18-08, Film & TV

While looking at this Technorati page I came across this post at Ann Haynes’ blog.

Haynes, writing about the Cloverfield viral marketing campaign, instructed her readers to follow four steps to learn more about the campaign. Here’s step #3:

3- Google “bloop”

It’s a campaign that crosses many sites about a physical phenomenon. They even have a fake news story embedded into cnn.com.

I googled “bloop” and found the CNN story about the mysterious “bloop” sound dated June 13th, 2002 — the story doesn’t appear to be fake, as Haynes believed. There was also a story at Australia’s The Age about it, with the same date. I also found an entry at Wikipedia for the phenomenon which mentioned a tie to (drum roll) H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos:

The site of the Bloop is remarkably close to the site of the fictional city of R’lyeh from H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Call of Cthulhu”, where an ancient undersea monster (Cthulhu) lies sleeping. Lovecraft said that R’lyeh is located at 47°9′S, 123°43′W in the southern Pacific Ocean, with the bloop also being targeted somewhere in that range.

The Wikipedia entry led me to Bloopwatch.org, which in turn led me to this nifty YouTube video called “Cthulhu Meditation.” The video plays the bloop sound, which sounds very much like the monster’s roar from the 1-18-08 trailer.
Listen to the Cthulhu Meditation video from 5:36 to 5:24, then listen the monster’s roar, which interrupts the Wolf Mother song in the trailer.
One last thing: I have twice left a comment on Haynes’ blog asking where she encountered the bloop phenomenon in connection to this movie, as her’s was the first reference I have found; both times my comment has been deleted.


To sum up: A mysterious sound believed to be made by a creature larger than the largest-known animal on Earth was discovered by scientists in 1997 in the vicinity of H.P Lovecraft’s R’yleh. The sound matches that made by the monster in the Cloverfield trailer. This is more evidence supporting the Cthulhu angle.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield] [Slusho]
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"Cloverfield" Gets Picked At By Another Dildo

Dear Constant Reader,

Seems like another cranky writer has decided to start taking shots at "Cloverfield" and it's producer JJ Abrams :

Written by Craig Rubens
Posted Saturday, July 14, 2007 at 6:00 AM PT

J.J. Abrams Makes Buzz, Yawn

Jerking the blogosphere around like his own personal publicity puppet, the singular J.J. Abrams has bloggers and fanboys waiting with bated, Cheeto-laced breath for his latest in enigmatic show biz buzz. This time it comes in the form of a cryptic teaser trailer first seen before the Transformers movie.

Like so many teasers before it, the trailer doesn’t reveal the film’s title but tantalizes with explosions, Japan-bound bon voyages, and a decapitated Lady Liberty. And for this everyone from Ain’t It Cool News to CNBC is atwitter?

After its premier at Michael Bay’s latest two-hour car commercial, bootleg copies of the trailer were put up on YouTube and taken down by Viacom-owned Paramount. Then the trailer went up on Apple’s site (in HD glory) and an official website, among other not-so-official ones, was “discovered.”

Since then a variety of unconfirmed sources have yielded a few things the blogosphere now seems to accept as fact. The working title of the film is “Cloverfield” and it is a monster flick shot entirely on handheld cameras from the point of a group trying to escape a bestial New York City. Word is that on set the film is referred to as “The Parasite” which seems awfully self-defeating considering Joon-ho Bong’s The Host so recently reinvigorated the monster genre.

Rumors of everything from Voltron to Godzilla to Donkey Kong have been circulating like head lice in kindergarten. But then, down from the mountain, Mr. Abrams himself sent a note to AintItCoolNews.com to confirm and deny various facets of the snowballing marketing campaign.

Regarding the online stuff you posted: yeah, we’re doing some fun stuff on the web. But, obviously, if the movie doesn’t kick some massive ASS, who gives a rat’s about what’s online? So as you can imagine, we’re focusing mostly on THAT. For what it’s worth, the only site of ours that people have even FOUND is the 1-18-08.com site. The others (like the Ethan Haas sites) have nothing to do with us.

So, while hinting that there are more clues to be discovered (like this odd site that might be connected), Abrams says that he’s “focusing mostly” on the movie and, therefore, not the ARG surrounding the it. This could have been, and might still be, a really cool media blitz, but Abrams’ words don’t inspire me to go out and search the series of tubes for mutant monster memos. Surely more clues will drop, but unless this ARG is holistically and interactively tied in with handheld feel of the film I don’t see anything special here.

So here’s my prediction: It’s The Burg, told Blair Witch style, in a Godzilla movie. And I’m sure that’s exactly how Abrams pitched it to Paramount. I watch Entourage, I know these things.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Some "Cloverfield" Media Coverage - from The Toronto Star

Dear Constant Reader,

Here's a tiny article from "The Toronto Star" :

`CLOVERFIELD'
Preview Review

We watch all of the latest trailers so you don't have to
Jul 14, 2007 04:30 AM

THE SKINNY: Your guess is as good as ours. But the film appears to be set in New York, looks like it could be shot with a hand-held camera, and seems to involve some kind of gigantic monster that blows things up real good – like the Statue of Liberty. And it's from Lost mastermind J.J. Abrams, who takes the producer's reins here. "Cloverfield," by the way, is just the movie's working title – sadly, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium was already taken. (Out Jan. 18, 2008)

WHAT'S COOL: That entire tonal shift the teaser takes at the halfway point. At a going-away party at some New York apartment, everyone is speaking into the camera and wishing "Rob" well when, suddenly, there's a ferocious, bestial roar, the earth shakes and the lights go out. The party guests head to the roof to see what's happening, and a massive fireball goes up in the air. Fiery debris rains down on the apartment building and the guests run down to the street, just in time to see the severed head of the Statue of Liberty fly through the air, crash into some cars and skid down the street. What could it be? A giant demonic force? The second coming of Godzilla? An enraged Rosie O'Donnell who's had her sandwich taken away from her?

WHAT GETS SPOILED: That Statue of Liberty scene won't seem quite so fresh when we actually sit down to watch the movie. But if that was the money shot, it was used well. The Internet hordes are abuzz, making it one of the most anticipated movies among the geek legion.

WE SAY: Allow us to don the hyperbolistic journalist's hat here before announcing: THIS MAY BE THE MOST PERFECT TEASER EVER. OF ALL TIME. PERIOD. Seriously, though, it is. The scant information about this project makes it all the more fascinating – although online chatter speculates it may have to do with horror scribe H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos.

by Derek Tse

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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A Very Detailed "Cloverfield" Article From MontyFood.com

Dear Constant Reader,

MontyFood has written up a lengthy article about everyone's favorite obsession, and I highly suggest that you take a peek see.

An Excerpt :
The official site doesn't have much there at present besides a interactive Flash thing with two snapshots supposedly taken on the night of the party featured in the teaser. But more geek sleuthing has revealed that the domain 1-18-08.com is registered to a "Henry Kelvin" at a dummy address in New York. But the technical contact is an "Albert Pike" at an address that corresponds to The George Washington Masonic Memorial. A secondary domain of 01-18-08.com is also registered at that address, but the registrant is listed as "In Hoc Signo Vinces", a latin translation of the phrase attributed to Constantine's vision but also adopted by the Scottish Rite branch of Freemasonry, a branch of the sect notably advanced in America of the 1800s by one Albert Pike, whose name also appears on the secondary domain registration, this time as Administrative Contact! And just to stoke the fires of intrigue Pike was a crafty fellow, apparently with links not only to Freemasonry but also the Illuminati and the Luciferian Society. Oh and the telephone number given on the domain registration belongs to The Barker Hangar, a soundstage at Santa Monica Air Center, formerly known as... wait for it... Clover Field.

Read More At montyfood.com by going here : 1-18-08 (aka Cloverfield, aka Slusho): a quick primer

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Oooh It's Friday The 13th

Dear Constant Reader,

There's very good reason to freak out over Friday The 13th.
People get very weird, and it's best to take note of a few things :

1. Stay away from unstable individuals.
2. Avoid group settings.
3. Don't go out if you don't need to.
4. Don't participate in life-threatening tasks.
5. Keep pets indoors.

Some of these things may sound odd, but this advice is coming from someone who's dealt with the significance of this day since becoming a professional paranormal investigator.


Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [Friday The 13th] [Friday] [Numbers] [Dates]
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"Slusho" Link Hunt

Dear Constant Reader,

Semidi appears to be having some kind of treasure hunt that's dedicated to finding official "Cloverfield" websites : Check It Out

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Is Cloverfield "Nerd Bait"? - An Article

Dear Constant Reader,

Is "Cloverfield" nerd bait?
This giant slice of cocksucker seems to think so :

from Radar Online :
J.J. Abrams' Irresistible New Nerd Bait

When it comes to capturing the hearts and minds of American geeks, no one does it better than super-producer J.J. Abrams. He made Jennifer Garner a techie pin-up with Alias, helped IT guys everywhere socialize with chats about "the others" with Lost, and he will become their undisputed king with his new Star Trek movie next year. But no Abrams project has inspired as much unadulterated dorkery as his upcoming untitled thriller (currently known by the codename "Cloverfield" and by its release date, "1-18-08").

What began as a mysterious, handheld-camera trailer for a monster attack film—it started airing this weekend at Transformers screenings, natch—has exploded into a full-on viral phenomenon, complete with stop-frame YouTube analyses, digital sound engineering deconstructions of the creature's roar, and vigilante mathematics to decode logarithms in the teaser clip and in two grainy photos on the official homepage.

As with any Web phenomenon, scandals have already started to break. Two sites rumored to be clues were called out as fakes yesterday by Abrams himself. "For what it's worth, the only site of ours that people have even FOUND is the 1-18-08.com site," he told Aint It Cool News.

Abrams adds, "But, obviously, if the movie doesn't kick some massive ASS, who gives a rat's about what's online?" Hmm, maybe your entire Magic the Gathering-playing fan base?

By Rachel Syme 07/13/07 10:30 AM
File Under: J.J. Abrams

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Real "Cloverfield" Title To Be Released!

Dear Constant Reader,

This is big news indeed ...

from reallyscary.com :
July 13, 2007
Cloverfield Project (aka 1-18-08) Title Being Released at San Diego Comic Con 
Ken Tarallo, an fx specialist, is working on the JJ Abrams Cloverfield Project (now going by the moniker 1-18-08). Ken mentions on his forum that the official name will be announced at the San Diego Comic Con.

Ken Tarallo's Website : http://www.frightstuff.com/

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Updates On All The "Cloverfield" Stories

Dear Constant Reader,

I've added labels to the bottom of each post that will allow you to find the rest of the posts on this blog that relate to "Cloverfield".
Now you can zoom through exactly what you're looking for without having to go through the process of hunting through the archives.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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"Cloverfield" Comment That Had Me Intrigued

Dear Constant Reader,

Yanked this off blogcritics.org :

#5 — July 13, 2007 @ 03:02AM — MArk

Is it me or did that sepuence look and sound very similar to the sequence when the tripods rise from under the street in War Of The Worlds?
Sounded and looked just like it, espcially the quick pan on the street to the Head, almost exactly the same/

A "War Of The Worlds" angle is something that I hadn't even considered.
Who owns the rights to that?
I thought Steven Spielberg's film was fan-fucking-tastic, but the folks that Mr. Abram's is working with could very well be tackling this from a more realistic angle.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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"Cloverfield" Parody Trailer

Dear Constant Reader,

I probably should've seen this coming ...



Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Some Thoughts On The New "Cloverfield" Picture - Comments Please!

Dear Constant Reader,



The timestamp says that it's 12:48 am, but doesn't it look an awfully lot like daylight to you?
Doesn't it also look a lot like some of the 9/11 images we've seen?
This weird nighttime/daytime looking photo has only left me with more questions about what exactly we're dealing with.
A monster engineered by terrorists perhaps?
Is this something that is able to throw the earth so off balance that day becomes night, and vice-versa?
Please feel free to leave your comments on what you see in this latest photo.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Cthulhu]
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Fake Cloverfield Websites Exposed: ABZ3293.com and ParasiteMovie.com

Dear Constant Reader,

Fake Cloverfield Websites Exposed: ABZ3293.com and ParasiteMovie.com
Posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 1:58 am by: Peter Sciretta

It started with this whole Ethan Haas fiasco. It seems like a new website appears everyday claiming to be the next official Cloverfield viral website. The problem is 99% of the websites are obvious fakes, yet the internet chatter continues to consider them legit. We’re getting sick of all the false information still floating around, so we’ve decided to make it our mission to expose the more widespread fakes. Here is a round up of sites that are NOT connected to Cloverfield’s viral marketing plan:

ABZ3293.com: If you go frame by frame through the 1080p version of the Cloverfield trailer, right before the Statue of Liberty head incident, you might notice a black SUV with a license plate that reads ABZ 3293. See the photo at the top of this posting. The website features the following posting:

“I am in need of the driver of an SUV - New York Plate ABZ 3293
He has an item, that is considered a family heirloom.
If you know who this person is, or where I could find him please leave a comment.”

The post has over 207 comments at the time of this posting, so obviously people think this website is connected to the movie, but it isn’t. On the top right corner of the website’s design, you will find a bunch of links. The site claims that the linked websites linked to the ABZ website, but that isn’t true. The top link in this section and in the blog roll is to a 21 year old German student/ freelance web designer. My guess is that he could be the one responsible for this site. The other links appear to be obvious advertisements. Why would Paramount link a swing sets depot? Whomever set up this page is probably trying to raise the pagerank of these pages in Google. The domain name was also registered on July 10th 2007. Don’t you think that Paramount probably would have registered and created the websites that will be used in this viral web game before the trailer was released theatrically on July 2nd?

ParasiteMovie.com: Aside from the sad looking logo, badly cropped eyes from the Bad Robot logo and the countdown till the next Evan Haas message (which should be proof enough that the site is not legit), ParasiteMovie.com features a link to some free game website. If Paramount were running this website, they would not be trying to promote some lame badly designed online game website. It’s an obvious ploy to drive traffic to the game website. This site was also registered following the worldwide release of the movie trailer, on July 7th 2007.

Remember, as of right now, the only official Cloverfield websites are 1-18-08.com and Slusho.jp.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield]
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Another Photo Added To "1-18-08" Site

Dear Constant Reader,

from MovieWeb :

It seems the official site for the J.J. Abrams produced, Matt Reeves directed thriller Cloverfield (1/18/08) has posted a couple of new photos on its main page 1-18-08.com.
To check them out go here : 1-18.08.com
The film is about a giant monster (referred internally as Godzilla) which is shot using home video cameras from the point of view of real people who are experiencing the attack on New York City. The cast includes Michael Stahl-David, Odet Jasmin, Mike Vogel and Lizzy Kaplan.

Wait a second ...
"The film is about a giant monster (referred internally as Godzilla)"
Is this going to be a motherfucking Godzilla film?
Oh Hell no bitch.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield]
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Yet Another "Cloverfield" Update - Rather Detailed!

Dear Constant Reader,

Some people may be reading too much into every little detail.

Field of Clovers…
Posted by Felix Vasquez Jr. in Writer's Corner, "Cloverfield" Investigation at 1:47 PM PDT

The new finding is that Wolfmother’s “Joker and the Third” is playing in the background of the teaser, which has a line about “Field of Clovers,” and has art on the inside of a giant lizard/iguana. Seems like potential clues, and is lending some credence to the Godzilla re-invention theory. Also, ‘Wolfmother’. “The latin origin “Madrevius di lupovius” means, “children born of the beast will steal the shadow of the forest and chase the stars from the night.”

Many continue to theorize that this is a tie-in to “Lost,” since “Lost” premieres a few weeks after the alleged premiere date. No one is still sure if 1-18-08 is the actual premiere date just yet, and if it happens to be a teaser for “Lost,” then I have another reason to watch this series. But then perhaps it’s just apart of the universe.

Another variation on the line the character screams: “I saw it in the light, it’s huge!” along with “It’s a Lion! It’s huge,” and “It’s Alive! It’s Huge!” Whatever it is, it’s huge.

Red Herring, clue, one of the hidden sites, or a fan site cashing in? You decide.

Another possible clue? Norika Yoshida the artist may be connected to Norika Yoshida from Slusho.jp. Also, there’s an alleged painting named “The Beasts of the Sea.” Seems like another random link, but we’re just providing you with possibilities here.

The mystery ingredient that was harvest from the bottom of the sea is used on the slusho, and releases giant parasitic monsters that destroy New York? Possible…

AKM can be spotted in the apartment in the trailer.

63 degrees is also shown during the News 1 broadcast. Clue?

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield] [Lost]
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P.S.
VH1 is so fucking clueless. Check out their thoughts on this film here : J.J. Abrams Has Everyone Guessing Again With Mysterious Movie Trailer

Happy Birthday To The Blog!

Dear Constant Reader,

I got so tied up with "Cloverfield" news that I missed the fact that this blog turned 1 year old yesterday!
It's been a helluva year, and here's hoping that this blog has another helluva year.
A HUGE thanks to my readers, and I hope that you stick around for more fun.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [Birthday] [Blog] [Anniversary] [Blogger]
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The "Slusho" / "Cloverfield" Deal - More News

Dear Constant Reader,

Semidi has put up the following information regarding the "Slusho" thing in JJ Abrams mystery project.
It's interesting reading, but I think the Lovecraft deal is way off base.

from Semidi :
More About the Slusho: The Dagon Connection

Commenter “docangst” notes a possible connection to Slusho! and the use of the god Dagon by H.P. Lovecraft, reviving Cloverfield’s Cthulhu angle.

The “History” page at Slusho.jp recounts Ganu’s dream of drinking the secret ingredient and turning into a whale as a result. This is reminiscent of the transformation of the god Dagon’s worshipers (”the Deep Ones”) into fish-like creatures resembling the deity in the Lovecraft story, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”

Dagon was a god of agriculture later drawn into a fish-god tradition by early maritime worshipers according to Wikipedia. The family name “Yoshida,” as previously noted, means “lucky/joyful rice field” and is also a reference to agriculture. The discovery by Ganu Yoshida of Slusho’s! secret ingredient “on the deep ocean floor, under amazing pressure and in the most extreme cold” also dovetails with Dagon and the Deep Ones.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield]
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Some News About How "Cloverfield" Is Being Marketed

Dear Constant Reader,

Some of this has been gone over before except for the Tribble thing?
Tribble huh?
Could this possibly have something to do with "Star Trek"?
Read more about the marketing of this mystery film :

JJ Abrams Launches Alternate-Reality Puzzle Promo for Sci-Fi Thriller

This summer, an alternate reality promotion began for a JJ Abrams film, about a New York monster invasion, slated for a winter release. Codenamed "Cloverfield," strange websites are popping up everywhere. One mysterious url in particular shows up at the end of a trailer for the film currently running in theaters, reports Wired.

1-18-08.com (the date of the movie's release) presents two photos to users. One shows two women looking up in fear at what appears to be a ghoul parked between their faces. Another site, ethanhasswasright.com presents a puzzle featuring buttons with strange symbols. Clicking on one opens up the user's email application, where users must email a mystery person to obtain more pieces to the puzzle.

One of the sites involved asks for help locating a car with New York license plate ABZ 3293 - an SUV that gets blown up in the film's trailer, which bears the same plate number.

Incidentally, Tribble Ad Agency is looking for the same car, which may point to their involvement in the promo.

Abrams is the man behind TV's mysterious island mini-series, "Lost," so the cryptic, deeply-involved promotion is expected to tide fans over while the show is on hiatus.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Slusho] [Cloverfield]
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"Cloverfield" News From A Variety Of Sources Including Slash Film

Dear Constant Reader,

Cloverfield Casting, Development and Shooting Details
Posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2007 at 11:44 pm by: Peter Sciretta

The Hollywood trade papers have just published some interesting articles on the Cloverfield madness. And with that we have learned a few new details about the film’s secret development. Apparently, Paramount greenlit the project in February around the same time that JJ Abrams agreed to direct "Star Trek". The Hollywood Reporter writes:

The casting process was just as mysterious. No scripts or even scene pages were sent out; agents who were contacted were simply asked if their client wanted to be in the movie or not. Eventually a cast, made up mostly of relative unknowns, was put together; it includes Michael Stahl-David (”The Black Donnellys”), Odet Jasmin, Mike Vogel (”Supercross”) and Lizzy Kaplan (”The Class”).

We have also learned that the film is being shot for around $30 million, which is very cheap compared to almost anything else being produced by a big Hollywood studio today. Cloverfield began shooting under the radar in New York in Mid-June. THR describes the film’s plot revolving “around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people.” So far we’ve been led to believe that the monster film is entirely shot from a consumer handheld camera, but The Reporter is unsure of that theory: “it is not clear if the entire movie follows that style.”

And of course, they have also confirmed the information that we’ve previously reported, Matt Reeves (Felicity) is directing based a script written by Drew Goddard (Lost, Alias).
Variety uncovered much less information on the project, running into the same “fake ignorance” that Paramount reps have been giving the media for the past week.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield]
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A Bit Of A Bitchy Article On "Cloverfield"

Dear Constant Reader,

This woman clearly has "I'm a cunt who's husband is cheating on me" tone about her, and she spreads it all over this article about the upcoming JJ Abrams film "Cloverfield" :

'Cloverfield' has all of geekdom gawking
Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - 12:04 AM
by Cynthia McMullen


Have we learned nothing from "Snakes on a Plane" or "Blair Witch Project"?

Perhaps you get 2 million hits when you Google "Cloverfield" and "preview" because people are so tantalized by the idea of J.J. Abrams' new film that they can't stop e-ing about it.

Maybe this isn't a giant game being orchestrated by Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot. But lest we forget, Abrams also hatched "Lost."

The trailer for the unnamed film that appears to have all of geekdom gawking -- and then some -- made its debut when "Transformers" opened July 3. An unidentifiable monster, a source of intense online debate, decapitates the Statue of Liberty in the movie imdb.com says is referred to as "Cloverfield."

Blairwitch.com, which helped make "Witch" a cult phenom, looked like the real thing. But so far, 1-18-08.com, named for "Cloverfield's" opening date, only offers two photos. Fans (or Abram's plants?) have nearly sprained their brains dissecting the trailer for clues. Paramount Pictures has stayed busy pulling the trailer off "unofficial" Web sites. (Copyright issues? Or viral marketing?)

It has all the ear, er, bite marks of "Snakes on a Plane" hype without the "Witch" craft . . . especially since Paramount has re-posted the preview at apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808. It's also available, along with all kinds of theories, conspiracy and otherwise, at youtube.com. Just search Cloverfield.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield]
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"Cloverfield" Site Confirmed

Dear Constant Reader,

The Slusho.jp site seems to be a legit part of the "Cloverfield" viral marketing.
The guy (Mike Vogul) who appears 52 seconds into the trailer is wearing a Slusho brand t-shirt.
The same guy can be seen on the official 1-18-08.com website pouring a beer into Rob’s mouth. But in that photo his t-shirt is blurred so that you can’t read what it says. The logo too closely matches the logo on the Slusho.jp website.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield]
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Some "Cloverfield" Info From IGN

Dear Constant Reader,

Seems like someone is sneakin' secret emails outta the production office :

IGN Movies has learned that the "Untitled J.J. Abrams Project" may also be using the working title "Slusho," which hardcore fans of Abrams' Alias may remember as the Slurpee-type beverage that Vaughn offers to Sydney in the second episode of the series.

They received an email this morning with the details of a public notice of filming posted last week in downtown Los Angeles that illuminates a few details about the production. The notice states that a Paramount Pictures movie using the name "Slusho" was filming last week in several downtown locations during the late afternoon to early morning hours. Here's a description of the scene:

"Exterior dialogue. Driving scenes. Occasional traffic & pedestrian control. Camera & equipment on sidewalk, street and property. 200 extras. Military vehicles. Destruction aftermath. Weapons brandished. Emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Exterior dialogue on fire escape on 8th floor."

A scraplet of rumor :
Rumors suggest that the untitled film is a remake of the South Korean monster flick, The Host.

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield]
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So Why Is It Called "Cloverfield"?

Dear Constant Reader,

I wondered this myself, and I found the answer.
Abrams’ production company is located on West Olympic Blvd. in Santa Monica, California. The office is located just minutes away from the Santa Monica Airport and Clover Field Blvd. Santa Monica Airport was also originally called Clover Field. The first successful flight around the world took off from and returned to Clover Field in 1924.
Abrams has done this kind of thing before, and probably deserves to die because of it.

Could we possibly be dealing with an air monster?
Make up your mind Mister Abrams!
Is it a goddamn sea monster or a bloody air monster?
Or maybe it's both?
Fuck you you intolerable bastard!

Arthur
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Technorati Tags: [JJ Abrams] [1-18-08] [Cluthu] [Cloverfield]
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